He was holding what he believed to be the largest of its kind in the world when he picked up the creature. Gray met the large, poisonous amphibian for the first time, which he soon named “Toadzilla”.
“I reached out and grabbed the cane toad and I couldn’t believe how big and heavy it was,” she said. statement Provided by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.
After weighing the cane frog (about six pounds) and concluding it was a female because it weighed more than its male counterparts, Gray said he considered naming the frog “Johnnie.” But upon further review, Gray said he thought the cane toad, instead of Connie, looked more like Godzilla, the fictional monster that destroyed Japan.
“We named him Toadzilla and quickly put him in a container so we could get him out of the wild,” Gray said.
Now Australian officials are trying to determine if Toadzilla is the largest of its kind. When the rangers returned to base in January. 12, they Toadzilla weighed 5.95 pounds, which may be a world record. The heaviest frog on record In March 1991, Prinsen, a pet cane frog in Sweden, weighed 5.13 pounds and measured 1 foot 9 inches when fully extended. Guinness Book of Records.
While Toadzilla’s age is unknown, cane toads can live up to 15 years in the wild, prompting park officials to think “that’s a long time ago.”
“He has generated a lot of interest among our guard staff because of his size,” Gray said in a statement.
The cane toad, native to South America and Central America, was introduced to Queensland in 1935 to control the cane bug population. However, in the decades since its introduction, the amphibian has not only failed to control insects, but has become one of the world’s worst invasive species. Cane frogs, which average about three pounds, “have been remarkably successful at breeding and dispersal.” National Geographic.
The species is estimated to number in the millions in Australia, covering thousands of square miles in the northeastern part of the country. research by the University of Western Australia.
A cane toad’s diet consists mainly of insects, but it will eat almost anything, including reptiles, birds, and even small mammals.
“They are opportunistic,” the Queensland Department of Environment and Science said in a news release about Toadzilla.
The warty amphibian can secrete a milky poison that can be fatal to wild animals from its parotid glands behind its shoulders. Cane toads are also particularly dangerous for dogs, who bite the amphibian and ingest the toxin.
“Eating a cane toad will result in the toxin being absorbed more quickly than just licking it, so if your dog has bitten or eaten a cane toad, it’s important to get them to the vet right away,” she said. Greencross Vets in Australia.
Even with the excitement and curiosity surrounding the giant cane toad, the Queensland Department of Environment and Science Twitter Toadzilla was “euthanized due to environmental damage,” he said. Toadzilla has now been taken to the Queensland Museum for further analysis to see if it is indeed the largest cane toad on record in the world.
“We’re happy to get it out of the national park,” Gray said.
